Taste of a New Jerseyan

I think I found the hors d'oeuvres of my taste.

It is crumbled gorgonzola, a blue cheese, on top of a kosher pickled dill. It gives a sharp and pungent taste to the crunchy dill. It tastes healthy and it is, most likely, healthy too. It goes well with wine, red or white.

This is not the food I grew up with. But with my wife's influence and easy access to other ethnic delicacies, I become adventurous in gastronomic explorations.

I still cook rice and a vegetable stew called pinakbet, equally healthy as above.

Explore your taste buds. Bon apetit!

New Jersey's Cherry Blossoms

I can see the red hue on the fine twigs and branches of trees on my way to work. I thought of Branch Brook park in Newark/Belleville. Cherry blossoms will be here soon in New Jersey!

My Wife's Garden

They are beautiful crocus flowers, courtesy of my wife's garden.

Hardworking New Jerseyans

Despite our budget deficit and high taxes, New Jersey remains second in per capita income and first on median income for 2006.

How this happens?

Maybe New Jerseyans are working hard to keep ends meet. We work hard enough!

New Jersey is the americana of work ethic.

I am proud of it.

Sheperd Creamery in New Jersey

I highly recommend to visit this creamery this summer and early fall/autumn for out of state visitor as well as fellow New Jerseyans. It is a great family weekend activity. It is located in Long Valley by route 517 in Morris county, about 3 miles north of Tewksbury or 8 miles north of exit 24 on I-78. Check out the link on the title.

Have fun!

Public Schools in New Jersey

Despite of New Jersey's dismal funding for higher education, the state has one of the best public schools in the country. About 54% of high school graduates goes to college, tied second with Massachusetts. North Dakota ranks first (59%). The state has its share of problem school districts, if not maybe worst in the nation. But overall, it is a great state to raise a family and public education.

We pay high taxes here but we do invest in our children's education. I wish this applies to higher education also.

New Jersey is the site of corporate headquarters of some major pharmaceutical, financial and technology corporations, a great place to start job for our highly skilled college graduates.

My proof?

My son has been accepted to Rutgers University, SUNY at Binghamton, Boston University and George Washington University. He is waiting on McGill University, NYU and Georgetown University.

The Signs of Spring

It was too good not to be outside this aftenoon. Temperature almost reached the 70 mark. Snow was practically gone and I could hear the sound of water flowing through creek by our road. Life is coming out of Mother Earth. Trees have swollen-up their buds for the flowers to come. Daffodils are getting through the mulch and dried leaves. The afternoon sun seems to energize all the living things in my backyard.

I grilled chicken for sunday's dinner.

Spring is a celebration of good things to come.

By the way, my son got accepted at Rutgers and Boston Universities. Something to celebrate, too.

Peeper frog in New Jersey

Last night and tonight I heard a few sounds of the frog Northern Peepers (Pseudaris crucifer crucifer). It heralds the coming of spring. I am waiting for the mallard ducks to visit my pond.

Tree's buds are swollen and about to open up. The tulip tree in my front yard stands about 70 feet is about to bloom its spring flower.

Deer's droppings were so visible when I took a walk in my backyard. Snow had melted.

It was cold at sunset. Temperature dropped to 46 F.

Peepers' sound became more audible as it got darker.

Frogs are excellent indicator of a viable environment. If you hear them in spring, your neighborhood's ecology is healthy. If you do not hear them in spring, your property and your neighborhood is worth a s---.

Spring has sprung.

A Family Celebration in New Jersey

We celebrated a mother and daughter birthday last Sunday. Today is my daughter's. She wants it simple and elegant. I gave her a fresh bundle of daffodils as present. She turns thirteen.

Ravens in New Jersey

I have been fascinated with the common black bird (Corvus corax). They are common sight in this part of New Jersey that they seem to be just another bird.

They are black ugly bird but became famous in the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Raven".

The bird is well known for its intelligence in any articles and publications, including the recent April issue of Scientific American. I wish I could linked it but I have to subscribe with a fee. It is not worth doing it. Suffice it to say that this article has credibility on their experiment and observation.

The Englishmen respect this bird because of the above characteristic and behavior.

These birds make sounds just like the movie every time I take a walk in my backyard. They seem to communicate. Maybe not. Maybe instinct. But it sounds intelligible as years goes by. I feel like I connect to the ravens.

Darfur

This is a sickening condition, socially and morally. There is the riches and glitzy of Khartoum and the appalling scenario of the Darfur province. The leadership of that nation is denying the atrocities. Despite the humanity's experience in Germany, the Balkans, Cambodia and Iraq, ethnic cleansing still exists. Mankind would kill his own brother or sister for "a higher principle or purpose". It makes me sick.

I checked out Darfur on Wikipedia and the subject is locked and restricted. A picture depicts a group of The Sudanese Liberation Army on a Toyota vehicle. Toyota, Inc. should be serious about this photo. It keeps this army moving forward.

One of my Roots

My mother grew up in this exotic islands of the northernmost part of the Philippines called Batanes. But, all her children have not visited the islands at all. We were raised in the province of Isabela in the island of Luzon.

These photos are courtesy of pbase.com.

One of these days, my family will visit our relatives in the islands.

On Higher Education and New Jersey

New Jersey has some of the best public and private colleges and universities in the nation but somehow it has the difficulties of retaining the best high school grads to study at home.

I know why. Living in New Jersey is expensive and higher education is as expensive as well. It seems affordable for the few. The rest of us will seek comparable out-of-state schools for our sons and daughters. Good grades seem not enough for scholarship in NJ schools.

Mr. Corzine, together with his friends and foes in Trenton, should invest in our children and divert all those 'christmas gifts' fund to our children's future. In addition to lottery as source of fund, I suggest privitizing some roads, air spaces, and radio bandwiths.

I am not an expert on this matter. But these are thoughts that comes out of head at this moment. They may be foolish ideas.

Deer and New Jersey

Deer is a common sub-urban and country sight among New Jersey residents. This is a recent event that creates many debates among residents, politicians, animal rights activist and environmentalist on how to manage the growing deer population. There are several recommended solutions but all of them are quite ineffective.

Deer is a voracious herbivore that we have to put up a four foot fence around to protect a flower and vegetable garden. The rest of my property is a deer country.

During the rutting season, it is a routine site to see carcass from road kill along the road on my way to work. My commute can be extremely hazardous during the mating season. Deer accident can be serious and sometimes fatal at times.

Deer looks cute but once you know this creature, they become a nuisance.

What is my insight?

The white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) lacks their natural predators, cougars and wolves. These latter animals have been hunted for so many years that they are now threatened species. Lately, there have been some sightings of cougar in New Jersey. It seems like they are on a rebound.

Nature has its infinite wisdom. Let it rule. Predation is the key to deer population control. I welcome the cougars and wolves. Let predation and feast begins.

Pig Roast in New Jersey

We had a Nor'Easter yesterday. All is well now. Roads were plowed clean of snow, a very thanks for the guys who did the job when most of us were resting and sleeping. Thank you, again.

The winter spell did not last long today because the snow did not stick into the ground. I can sense spring.

Then, I thougth of my favorite local farmer who has been fattening-up the pig for my 2007 NJ Pig Roast Party, a celebration of community with family friends in the area and my Angadanan (Philippines) townfolks in Jersey. It seems like pig roast party is a common event that people share without boundaries to ethnicity or social backgrounds. I am not unique in my town. A few families, who has been in this beautiful town for many years and generations, have been celebrating this summer event way long before me.

By the way, Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Corned beef and cabbage is the the menu for dinner.

Where is spring?

We had a 81 degrees F the other day in Newark. Now, a Nor'easter. I-78 west was so sleek that every one was driving 30-35 mph max. Ditched vehicles were seen on both sides of the road.

But, it did not deter my son to go work at around the peak afternoon rush hour. School was closed and that gave him some time for commuting. He is learning a good work habit and a paycheck on his own by next week. It will serve him well in the future, if he keeps up his attitude.

He is also anxious about the schools he applied to. He will do fine in one of those competitive schools.

The Phantom of the Opera

I have seen it three times and it gets better. There is something mystical about the show. It must be the musical and the plot of romance and despair in the underworld. All of us love the show.

My daughter found the original cast recording cd, which all of us presumed lost, in a junk box somewhere in the attic. It is in perfect condition despite the extremes of temperature for all those years, at least two years.

It was truly a lost treasure found.

My Reflection in New Jersey

I am not pro in photography. When I took these pictures, I felt connected to my town. It was a spontaneous free will act to do the snapshot. Did I made a connection? I thought I did. These photos looks peaceful and serene, maybe my inner being reflected the same aura. They were taken in winter time. Was it a sense of hibernation or longing for the spring to come? Or the appreciation of winter's natural beauty.

Whatever it is, it sure was a good feeling.

I love the four seasons of New Jersey. I look forward to the next season with such predictability and optimism. My finite human existence seems to rhyme with nature.

Now back to reality.

New Jersey and Spring

It looks like I fix my blog and web photos. I did not download the software correctly. Photos and blog appears synchronized.

Spring in New Jersey seems to be in the corner. My wife's daffodils are poking out the dried leaves. They will be in blossom by next week. I might take some pix.

Speaking of spring, I look forward to the Cherry Blossoms Festival in Newark/Belleville at Branch Brook Park.

It is a celebration of rebirth.

It sounds profound. I do not know what it means.

But, I do know that spring brings joy after a winter hibernation.

See you at Branch Brook Park.

Blogging and Web photos

My Blog and Picasa web seems to be out of sync. It was my fault. I changed my URL address without deleting my old URL. Now, I have both URLs. But since I compose to my new URL, the previous one seems empty. I found that out when sharing a few pictures to my e-groups. I have been trouble-shooting for about two hours now and looks like I am about to fix it. But, it is getting late.

Business is picking up again since last week. Need some rest for tomorrow's work.

Daylight Saving Time and Computer

DST or daylight saving time was not an issue in our desktop PC. It did what it was supposed to do. But my lap was a little bit different. When I turned on this morning, it did not show the proper time, DST that is. I thought my internet provider and/or Microsoft did not do their job. But before calling them and make a "scene", tried some trouble shooting of my own. I right-clicked on the time in my laptop screen and a window appeared. I clicked on the 'setting' tab. Lo and behold, the daylight saving time option was unchecked. I clicked on the box, then clicked apply. Closed the window and walla! time was corrected. In other words, my laptop was reset already. All I have to do was manually check the DST button.

Some techie advise I share, but I am no pro.

New Jersey and the Sopranos

The Sopranos plans to film their final episode in Bloomfield, NJ at Holsten's Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor on Broad St. The township reversed the approval when residents complained about the negative stereotype of Italian-American. I do emphatize with them, being myself as an immigrant of another ethnicity. The great majority of Italian-American, no doubt, has contributed many positive and great things to this country. It also applies to other ethnic groups. This is what makes US a powerful nation. Unfortunately, it is the activity of the few that is being put into the limelight, media and movies. It is pure entertainment, nothing beyond that. Borat, who is an Englishman, does not represent the people of Kashakstan nor all Filipinos have a a thousand shoes like Imelda Marcos. The film industry should be nurtured in New Jersey especially in Essex county where there is ethnic diversity together with the many historic and unique places in the county. I would take a deep breath and smile. People are noticing New Jersey.

The Primaries

It seems like Iowa and New Hampshire dictates the primaries. The reason is because they are early in the game. These states are homogeneous and they do not present the demographics. Right? It should be California, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Florida, New York, Virginia, or Maryland. Or New Jersey for goodness sake. Maybe we should do primaries on the same date. With television and the Internet, who needs this arbitrary dates. Let us do it in one day, be done with it. After all, this is just another politics(again).

Visit to The City and The Garden State

Another highway upgrade on I-78 between exit 48 and exit 52. It will be in the local lanes this time. It will start March 9, tomorrow. There were no physical changes on I-78 this morning. They may do changes tonight. The NJ DOT had done a wonderful job on the the express lane last summer. There were no major set backs. I would expect the same way this time.

Driving through I-78 east into NJ Turnpike, you can see the skyline of south Manhattan (via Lincoln tunnel) and Lady Libery on your right(via the Holland Tunnel). I recommend this route for people from the west of the continent visiting the City by car.

Visit NJ/NY spring, summer, fall and winter. There are always exciting activities going on each season. There are four seasons and each is different.

My Family

Spring is around the corner but mother nature has not let up the grip of winter. Our weekend forecast appears optimistic. Temperature will be the the low 40's, better than today.

My son got a job at UPS on his own. He will be working part-time after school, 6pm to 9pm daily except weekends. This is not his career. He is way beyond this, but it is important that he appreciates a good work ethic in an all-american company. It will benefit him in the future.

I ask him what he will do with his money and he said, " I will put away some for my 401K". I was very surprised.

He is becoming a smart dude. I am proud of him.

Les Miserables

Tonight is the opening of yet another revival of Les Miserables. Lea Salonga is Fantine. She hails from the Philippines and I am very proud that she is now a notable figure in the great white way of broadway. I had seen it twice with my family and friends/relatives from out of state. It was a great show. This time, it will as good as before or even better. Living in New Jersey is a drive away from Manhattan, the capital of theater and culture in the US if not the world. You can live in the countryside of New Jersey and be able to visit Manhattan anytime.

My Alma Mater Flickr

It is my visual connection to my country of origin, albeit not that personal. I call my aunts and relatives on regular basis. Thanks to cell phone. My folks back in my town are not savvy enough on computers and digital cameras. Thanks to my sister, who recently visited my town, took many pictures and uploaded them to our Angadanan community website (Philippines). It was delightful. It was an infrequent event.

I have a classmate who I share my photos. She lives in Silay City, Negros Occidental. Her pictures gave me some visual connections to my birth country, although it is hundred of miles away south of my town.

I wish I could see more at USTFlickr posted by talented Thomasians. They are talented!

Celebrate New Jersey 2007

I am very fortunate and honored to experience the beauty of New Jersey, its rural and urban landscapes. It has great resources, like good schools, educated residents, ethnic diversity, culture and committed industries to our state. It is a great place to raise a family in my experience. To celebrate and contribute to this event is my affirmation.

Brining Turkey

It sounds odd this time of the year but our family friend missed a good thanksgiving due to an unfortunate surgery. So, we have another thanksgiving celebration right close to spring. I do not mind it because I like turkey.

Brining makes turkey moist in the oven. I learn it (brining) from Bon Appetit many years ago. Since then, I made some modifications and better.

Here is my way.

In a tall pan, pour about a fourth of a 3 lbs box of kosher salt. Add 8 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp whole black pepper and about 8 dried bay leaves. Fill pan half-way and boil at high heat. Let it boil until salt is dissolved and be able to smell garlic.

Rinse thawed turkey and place in a 10 gallon zip-lock bag. Pour brine and add water until turkey is just submerged. Lock zip-lock and place in a large Coleman cooler. Dump a couple of ice bags.

Let it brine for 12 hours.

Rinse turkey and let wife or significant other do the rest.

The New Economy and New Jersey

The 2007 New Economy Index reported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation ranks New Jersey second to Massachusetts. New Jersey was 6th in 2002. The index is mainly based on digitised economy, information technologies and knowledge-based entrepreneurship. I thought it would be California, Illinois, Virginia, Connecticut or New York next to Massachusetts. New Jersey is out from mass production economy and in to 'high tech' economy, stem cell for example. I remember the iPod and MP3.

It is a Jersey thing to do. Maybe a song artist can make a song about it.